Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

The Cango Caves, Plettenberg Bay and the wildlife all in the running. The accommodation was all very good, but be aware that in the game reserve, not 5 star though more than comfortable enough for the remote location.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Malik was a great leader. Knowledgeable, sociable and able to re-organise the programme to cope with some indifferent weather. He seemed to know most of the local population.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The accommodation was all very good, but be aware that in the game reserve, it is not 5 star though more than comfortable enough for the remote location. How can you watch penguins without laughing? Scenery often spectacular, even under cloud cover. We did not do the cable car to Table Mountain due to high winds. A couple of minor gripes: The vegetarian food at Franschoek I thought poor. Giving a fancy name to cabbage with onions as a starter does not get Michelin stars. No vegetarian main course and eventually serving plain gnocchi in what I though was tomato puree was not good enough. The American tipping culture is alive and well in Cape Town. You get to see the big 4 at Kariega, (Lion, Rhino, Buffalo, Elephant) but it seems nobody has seen a leopard there. Overall though, another great trip with lots to see and do. See the Silo Art Gallery on the Cape Town waterfront if you can.

Most Inspirational Moment

Path of the Gods was the ultimate cliffside hike with the most amazing views.l of the Mediterranean. Exploring the iconic coastal towns of Positano, Amalfi, and the peaceful hilltop terraces of Ravello. Standout day trip exploring the ancient streets of Pompeii and hiking to the top of Mount Vesuvius.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Paolo Longo

Advice for Potential Travellers

Walking poles and comfortable hiking shoes highly recommended.

Most Inspirational Moment

It was a fabulous week but there were a few incredible hightlights: the wraparound view of the Supramonte mountains from the hotel in Dorgali is just jaw dropping, particularly at sunset; Cala Luna beach before the crowds descend is beautiful; swimming in stunning waters at Cala Orosei beach with the softest sand; the big walk up to Tiscali and the stunning views across the valley, and bouldering in the incredible Gorrupo Gorge - just magical!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tony was just brilliant! Caring, calm and effortlessly professional and organised. He was social, friendly and knowledgeable. He's one of the best guides I've been with on an Exodus trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is rated moderate on the activity scale and there were stretches of the walks which were pretty steep or needed hands as well as feet to be engaged. We did the walks in 34degree heat and 60% humidity so unusual weather conditions which made some of the inclines a big tougher than normal, but be prepared for some rocky and rough terrain; and wear grippy shoes in the Gorge because the rocks are slick in places.

Most Inspirational Moment

The biking on the Curonian Spit in Lithuania was beautiful. I really enjoyed the smoked fish served for lunch along the way. I wished we could see more of the sea during the ride as the beautifully groomed trails went through the forest. Actually most of the rides went through the forest and we did hit rain. Riga in Latfia was my favorite city. Walking through the city after our bike ride was great, historical , good food.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had Lina for 2 days. Andrius took over for the rest of the trip. They were both warm, enthusiastic, took care of us during the rides and were at our dinners every night. Andrius knew a lot about the history of the Baltics. He grew up under Russian rule so had a great perspective of the struggles Lithuania had and he had great stories of what has made the Baltics great today.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The biking is relatively flat with some small climbs which were tougher than expected as the bikes had only 8 gears.

Most Inspirational Moment

3 hours by boat (2of those hours in the dark), to watch the toucans and parrots at the largest clay lick in the world.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rolnad was the best! He had patience, and so much knowledge! He was always prepared to show us more. His abilities with scopes and cameras gave me some wonderful photos.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you visit Peru, don’t miss the Amazon!

Most Inspirational Moment

Our visit to Machu Pichu

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kleb was totally incredible. He was always there for us, and went over and above when I got sick. He was patient, knowledgeable, knew the best restaurants and overall, was very, very helpful. His historic knowledge about Machu Picchu was outstanding.

Most Inspirational Moment

When I was able to cycle in sand.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent Group leader with huge amount of local knowledge. Joao has a brilliant sense of humour which helped to ensure we all enjoyed the trip. Powerpoint presentations debriefing the days and explaining the next day were excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Although there are percentages of road/off-road published for this trip, cycling on the roads is a lot quicker so you spend proportionately more time off road than the percentages imply. This trip is therefore suitable for a competent cyclist who wants to try some off roading, but not for a road cyclist looking for a typical road trip. A good off-road cyclist will find this easy though. The bikes are heavy (but well maintained) so are a completely different experience to road bikes. There are some steep hills but these are limited and only one (on the last day) is of any real length, so don't be put off by these. You can always walk up the hills as it does not slow down the rest of the group. Because of the nature of the route, the group cycles closely together, so there are limited opportunities to "do your own thing" but there are frequent stops for coffee/lunch and view points. In fact some people might find there are too many stops as the group rarely cycles for longer than 20km without stopping. However, the stops are often strategically placed before a challenging section to allow cyclists to get their energy back. Lunch is impressive so well worth joining the kitty to have lunch included every day. They are a lot bigger lunches than the average UK cyclist would have and lunch stops are typically for an hour or so. Hotels and guesthouses are excellent throughout with many having swimming pools for a nice dip after cycling on a hot day.

Most Inspirational Moment

The way the group bonded quite quickly and how we all looked out for each other whilst we were cycling. It was a very supportive atmosphere helped by Davide who looked after us every step of the way!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our tour leader, Davide di Mauro, was exceptional and he went above and beyond in looking after the group. He was knowledgeable, competent, caring, passionate about his island and the environment and moreover he was very funny with such an incredible knowledge of the English language.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We did go towards the beginning of September and it was very hot. However, Davide and our driver, Sepi, made sure we were constantly hydrated. So if you can’t cope with high temperatures, it would make sense to go when the temperatures are cooling down somewhat.

Most Inspirational Moment

Loved the trip in the Popeye boat to cross the border into Spain, and the high level ride from Baiona above Vigo. Highlight had to be arriving with hundreds of other pilgrims in Santiago de Compostella, then taking part in the pilgrims mass in the evening.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alfonso was wonderful. He was knowledgable, organised, efficient, sociable and humorous. The perfect guide. He also made sure we wasted no food - amazing appetite! He was well supported by our driver Victor - another real gentleman.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be aware that a good chunk of the trip is off road, through woods and trails, hence the use of mountain bikes. It was good to be off road again, but it isn’t everyone’s preference. Cobbles on the first couple of days were ok, but just worth being aware of that. Sharing the trail with walkers was better than expected - following Alfonso’s advice about how to make them aware of our presence respectfully, ( and realise how many walk with ear pods so don’t hear us). Would highly recommend the trip, we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Most Inspirational Moment

My pick would be the final day when we did the Caldeira crater walk. One can find a way to walk up to the lip of a crater but to do a complete walk around the top looking into the crater itself is something else. What made the trip that much more special was sharing it with our group--9 great people from 3 continents.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jorge did it right. He announced he would be having dinner every night with the group. This solidified us a unit. He picked great restaurants. On the trail he assisted others as the need arose. Good sense of humor and a very talented handpan musician. Other reviews have mentioned the trail lunches and rightfully so. None of this make you own--we had a picnic each day with fresh food brought in that catered to the dietary needs of the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I like to hike in cooler weather so I chose September. The temperatures were fine but I was not prepared for the humidity. On the first day we had some sprinkles, not worth a rain jacket but the humidity left me drenched. Wear good hiking boots with plenty of tread not trainers. Bring poles. Some days were just walks others were some steep ups and downs. Day 3 whale watching option was canceled due to lack of any sightings. The accommodations and the quality of the meals were the best of any of my Exodus trips.